The number of children Born with syphilis In the United States, they continued to grow last year, even despite the fact that the number of cases of sexual intercourse (STIs) in the country decreased, according to new government data.
The total number of registered cases of IPP fell by 9% in 2024 since 2023, the third year in a row, these numbers of cases decreased, previously data Released by centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC) this week shows. But cases of syphilis in newborns, also known as congenital syphilis, increased within the twelfth year in a row. In 2024, about 4000 cases were registered – since 2015, almost 700%, when a little less than 500 was registered.
Syphilis growth in congenital cases was not so cool in 2024, as in previous years – only less than 2% since 2023. Dr. Bradley Stonener, director of the STD CDC prevention unit, says that it is promising that the increase in the increase slows down, but that an increase in the number of cases.
Just a couple of decades ago, cases of congenital syphilis were Almost eliminated From congenital congenital syphilis can be prevented; Syphilis can be cured with treatment, and if it is treated during pregnancy, this can protect the fruit from infection.
But if not treated, syphilis You can convey to the fetus during pregnancy or delivery. Syphilis can Damage organs Such as the heart and brain, and can lead to blindness, deafness and even death. Congenital syphilis can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirth.
Stonener says that the reduction in the services of IPP at the state and local levels, as well as social and economic conditions, such as poverty and lack of medical insurance, probably contributed to the contribution to Increasing the level of syphilisWhich, in turn, led to an increase in the indicators of congenital syphilis.
Federal financing for the prevention of IPPP I saw radical abbreviations Since the beginning of the 2000s. The number of people living in poverty He took off During this period, although it has been reduced since then. And although the percentage of non -insured people fell Since the law on available medical care was signed in 2010, millions are still uninsured or InsuredThe field of other complications in access to quality medical care can also affect people with insurance.
Elizabeth Finley, temporary executive director of the National Coalition of Directors in STD, says that part of the problem is that the access of pregnant people to health care or preventive care of syphilis may vary. For example, some people may not be able to access prenatal assistance in series or in general. And some medical workers can first see cases of syphilis in their career.
“You get this ideal storm of people who do not receive sufficient amounts of paths to start for many, many reasons, and then you see suppliers who did not have to identify or check syphilis in the past,” Finley says.
There were also Intermittent lack of drugs According to Finley, this influenced the ability of doctors to quickly treat pregnant women with syphilis.
She notes that the general indicators of the SPP have grown over the past decade or so.
“In general, over the past 10 years, we have seen more cases,” says Finley. “Every time in the community or in more cases of infection there are more cases of IPP, and in this case, syphilis – in the community you have an increased probability that pregnant women will be exposed to this, and then that their children or their fruits will be exposed.”
According to CDC, the total prevalence of STIs in the United States is still high: more than 2.2 million cases in 2024 in 2024 – 13% since 2015. Finley says that partly the reason for this is that the United States “really differed significantly from preventive efforts.”
CDC noted several areas of progress in solving the problem: cases of the two most infectious stages of syphilis, known as primary and secondary syphilis, decreased by almost 22% in the second year in a row. Stonener says that he hopes that congenital syphilis will follow. And cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia also continued to fall. The agency explained these decrease in the influence of public health initiatives, such as increasing the awareness of STIs and the use of prevention tools. These tools include self -testing and antibiotic Doxycyclinewhich can be taken within 72 hours after sex to help reduce the risk of acquiring syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea.
“The data indicate that we can turn on the angle on the SPPP,” says Stonener. “But the fact that congenital syphilis is still a serious problem, tells us that we must accelerate progress in order to stop the IPPP epidemic and its most tragic consequences. These are preventive infections, as well as greater awareness and earlier intervention, I think, will help us get these infections under the best control. ”
CDC Recommends That people are tested for syphilis three times for pregnancy. Stonener also calls on people of reproductive age to undergo syphilis testing and conduct conversations with their partners about SPPP.
Finley says that although it was encouraging that public health initiatives are trying to solve this problem, it is necessary to be “much more coordinated and intentional efforts” in order to combine various state institutions to combat congenital syphilis. She adds that financing for the prevention of IPPs has fallen significantly in recent years.
“These cases of syphilis in pregnant patients do not happen in the bubble; They happen in a wider context, and now, that a wider context is that our general indicators of STIs are too high, ”says Finley. “It really should be part of the wider efforts to reduce STIs in the USA”